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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. bass — low music
  3. ground — the earth
  4. kick — in football
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. current — of water
  7. field — a subject
  8. stand — to bear
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. bass — the fish
  11. ground — a position
  12. current — happening now
  13. ground — crushed
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. field — farmland
  16. chair — a leader
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. current — electric
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. field — for sport
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. mouse — the animal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com